Stem-cell therapy is the use of stem cells to treat or prevent a
disease or condition. As of 2016[update], the only established therapy
using stem cells is hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. This
usually takes the form of a bone-marrow transplantation, but the cells
can also be derived from umbilical cord blood. Research is underway to
develop various sources for stem cells as well as to apply stem-cell
treatments for neurodegenerative diseases and conditions such as
diabetes and heart disease.Stem-cell therapy has become controversial
following developments such as the ability of scientists to isolate
and culture embryonic stem cells, to create stem cells using somatic
cell nuclear transfer and their use of techniques to create induced
pluripotent stem cells. This controversy is often related to abortion
politics and to human cloning. Additionally, efforts to market
treatments based on transplant of stored umbilical cord blood have
been controversial.For over 30 years, hematopoietic stem cell
transplantation (HSCT) has been used to treat people with conditions
such as leukaemia and lymphoma; this is the only widely practiced form
of stem-cell therapy. During chemotherapy, most growing cells are
killed by the cytotoxic agents. These agents, however, cannot
discriminate between the leukaemia or neoplastic cells, and the
hematopoietic stem cells within the bone marrow. This is the side
effect of conventional chemotherapy strategies that the stem-cell
transplant attempts to reverse; a donor's healthy bone marrow
reintroduces functional stem cells to replace the cells lost in the
host's body during treatment. The transplanted cells also generate an
immune response that helps to kill off the cancer cells; this process
can go too far, however, leading to graft vs host disease, the most
serious side effect of this treatment.
disease or condition. As of 2016[update], the only established therapy
using stem cells is hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. This
usually takes the form of a bone-marrow transplantation, but the cells
can also be derived from umbilical cord blood. Research is underway to
develop various sources for stem cells as well as to apply stem-cell
treatments for neurodegenerative diseases and conditions such as
diabetes and heart disease.Stem-cell therapy has become controversial
following developments such as the ability of scientists to isolate
and culture embryonic stem cells, to create stem cells using somatic
cell nuclear transfer and their use of techniques to create induced
pluripotent stem cells. This controversy is often related to abortion
politics and to human cloning. Additionally, efforts to market
treatments based on transplant of stored umbilical cord blood have
been controversial.For over 30 years, hematopoietic stem cell
transplantation (HSCT) has been used to treat people with conditions
such as leukaemia and lymphoma; this is the only widely practiced form
of stem-cell therapy. During chemotherapy, most growing cells are
killed by the cytotoxic agents. These agents, however, cannot
discriminate between the leukaemia or neoplastic cells, and the
hematopoietic stem cells within the bone marrow. This is the side
effect of conventional chemotherapy strategies that the stem-cell
transplant attempts to reverse; a donor's healthy bone marrow
reintroduces functional stem cells to replace the cells lost in the
host's body during treatment. The transplanted cells also generate an
immune response that helps to kill off the cancer cells; this process
can go too far, however, leading to graft vs host disease, the most
serious side effect of this treatment.
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